Beginner’s Luck For Hoffman Estates Resident

Wins $1,000-a-week-for-20-years Illinois Lottery prize

Lilia Martinez with her oversized check

For Immediate Release

Contact: Micaela Small 630-486-0658

Hoffman Estates, IL—July 30, 2013 — Lilia Martinez was grocery shopping with her sisters when she bought a $1 The Good Life instant Lottery ticket and won $1,000 A Week For 20 Years. “When I saw The Good Life ticket I immediately thought I should try it. This is the first time I ever played this game!”

Martinez was outside the store when she used a penny to scratch her ticket. “I thought I won $1,000, and then my two sisters looked at the ticket and told me I won $1,000 every week for the next 20 years!” The lucky Hoffman Estates resident and her husband, Jose, plan to invest for retirement and help their two sons pay for their education. “This lottery win will make our lives easier,” she said.

Martinez buys one instant lottery ticket every week and prior to this her largest win was $20. Her $1,000 A Week For 20 Years The Good Life prize is paid in annual installments of $52,000 for 20 years (totaling $1,040,000 prior to required withholding). Today, Illinois Lottery officials presented her with a ceremonial check at Jewel, located at 1069 North Roselle Road in Hoffman Estates. “I have been shopping at this Jewel store for 20 years,” Martinez said. For selling the winning ticket, Jewel will receive a bonus of $10,400, equal to 1 percent of the prize amount.

The Good Life tickets are available at four different price points--$1, $2, $5 and $10 with respective top prizes of $1,000, $2,000, $3,000 and $10,000 a week for 20 years. Grand prize winners for the four games will receive significant cash amounts over the 20 year life of the grand prize:

Founded in 1974, the Illinois Lottery has contributed over $18 billion to the state’s Common School Fund to assist K-12 public schools, as well as hundreds of millions of dollars to the Capital Projects Fund and to special causes like Illinois Veterans, the fight against breast cancer, MS research, and assistance for people living with HIV/AIDS. In addition to playing in-store, the Illinois Lottery offers online and mobile play for Mega Millions, Powerball and Lotto at www.illinoislottery.com. Players must be at least 18 years old.

Play Responsibly. Must be 18 or older to play. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537). For more info or to exclude yourself call 1-800-252-1775.

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